A. Field of the Invention
This relates to classification yards and railway settings. This is important in order to classify various rail cars and more specifically the cargo within those cars. This classification may become important to segregate different types of cargo or material in rail yards.
B. Prior Art
There are other prior art references to rail yard classification or management systems. A representative example of this can be found at Doner, U.S. Pat. No. 6,961,682. The Doner patent is a method for managing railcar movement in a rail yard based on the flow of rail yard tasks. Employees in the process rely on a memory device and a database. It does not however, employ a camera, which this application provides. The Doner application does predict whether or not a particular train schedule can be met.
Another example specifically related to railways can be found at Craft, U.S. Pat. No. 6,516,726, which is a high capacity and multistaged railway switching yard. This particular device allows railway cars to be classified, using a switching mechanism. It does not, however, use a camera.
Another example in the prior art can also be found at Craft, U.S. Pat. No. 6,418,854, which is a method specifically directed to priority car sorting. This, like the previous Craft and Doner patents, do not employ a camera.
Another example that monitors vehicle movement for railroad terminals can be found at Staples, U.S. Pat. No. 3,944,986. This provides data and voice communication links to a data processing center. Again, it does not provide a camera, which allows an operator at a remote location to focus on a specific area or areas of the yard.